AVI Fresh will remain Kenyon’s dining service provider for the next five years, according to Kenyon Chief Operating Officer Roger Wakeman. After a competitive selection process involving six dining companies, the decision came down to two finalists, AVI and Chartwells, before AVI was ultimately selected to continue its 20-year tenure in Peirce Hall’s kitchens.

Kenyon’s current contract with AVI runs through June 1, while the new contract is still being finalized, according to Wakeman. Many of the more specific details on both the technical and financial sides of the dining agreement are still undecided, and as such, Wakeman was reluctant to discuss them while negotiations are ongoing. 

However, in an interview with the Collegian, he hinted at some of the improvements coming to Kenyon. “Students can expect extended hours on both late night and [for] whatever we end up doing with Peirce Express,” he said, as well as “an enhanced approach” to servery food stations. Negotiations are expected to conclude in May, although Wakeman could not comment on their financial details.

This school year saw major changes in Kenyon’s servery. Increased food options, from a permanent hummus bar to a waffle machine to açaí bowls and breakfast sandwiches, have noticeably increased the quality of AVI’s service. After a school-wide announcement email from Wakeman about the decision, students reflected on the outcome. “[The quality of AVI] has gone up a lot this year, particularly,” said Henry Wopschall ’26. “I’m glad [Kenyon] went with a company that’s been doing it here for a long time.” 

Catelin Bromfield ’26 has been eating at AVI-chartered dining halls since first grade. “I think they’ve done a really good job, especially this year,” she said. “They know Kenyon really well.” 

Although the final decision on Kenyon’s dining contract was Wakeman’s to make, an extensive process to receive, analyze and discuss the lengthy dining proposals began in January. At the heart of the process were two committees made up of faculty, staff and students: the technical review committee and the financial review committee (which did not include students). The dining proposals had varying degrees of merit. “Some of the companies had tried really hard to do their research,” Noelle Jordan, the director of the Brown Family Environmental Center and the Kenyon Farm, who was on the technical review committee, said in an interview with the Collegian. “Other companies did not do that.”

The two committees worked in tandem, with one sometimes influencing the other’s work. Parkhurst Dining, which services Bard College and Otterbein University, originally emerged as a strong early contender. According to Jordan, however, its financial proposal was deemed “out of reach” for the College, despite an effort from the financial review committee to see if Parkhurst could lower its proposed costs. 

From there it was down to AVI and Chartwells, which sent representatives to campus for finalist meetings on April 1 and 2. Committee members were split on who should receive the final recommendation. “There were some who wanted Chartwells and there were some who were staunch advocates for AVI,” Jordan said. “It took a lot of discussion for us to meet in the middle and figure out that with some changes, AVI would be the right company for the job.”

Chartwells was, as Wakeman described it, “a very worthy competitor.” One of its perceived benefits lay in its potential for major changes over a short period. “When a company that isn’t AVI offers extended hours, or they offer this big, fancy plan for how we’re going to redo New Side, or here’s how we’re going to reimagine the pub, you get that sense of like, ‘Okay, maybe the grass is greener in this image that they’re offering.’” said Ezekiel Hettmann ’26, one of three students on the technical review committee. Wakeman was particularly impressed by Chartwells’ chef leadership. “[Their] culinary expertise was really strong,” he noted.

However, Hettmann, Jordan and Wakeman all knew that switching dining partners was not a decision to be taken lightly — it carried inherent risks. “The continuity issue was something we considered because a transition to a new provider would be a major process,” Wakeman added. 

On the other hand, members of the committee knew what AVI, Kenyon’s partner for the last two decades, was bringing to the table, both its strengths and weaknesses. “What really sold the group, from my perception, was [AVI’s] knowledge of the community, their familiarity with it.” Hettmann said, “because they have that home court advantage.” 

“The Kenyon community is kind of specific in ways that other colleges aren’t, and AVI gets that, and they’ve built up this local sourcing, which is very important to the committee and to me personally,” Jordan added.

Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies Lauren Schmitt, another member of the technical review committee, came to a similar conclusion as Hettmann and Jordan. “Kenyon’s campus and the culture around dining is something that we were all really focused on maintaining,” she said. “The connections that [AVI has] built with the Knox County farms and communities is really a testament to a lot of work that they’ve put in.”

At the end, both the technical and financial review committees came to the conclusion that sticking with AVI was in the College’s best interest. “Everyone had an opportunity to give strong feedback, and I would say that the consensus was that AVI was the best solution,” Wakeman said. For Wakeman, the process’ goal of “ensuring that we are being prudent with our resources … and ensuring a competitive environment around any of our service-type contracts” was firmly accomplished.

Reflecting on the months-long process, Hettmann appreciated that student voices were taken into account. “I’m hopeful that students are going to have a greater sense of being participants in the dining service, as opposed to just recipients,” he concluded. “I think it’s important that students are privy to decisions that they are directly affected by.”

Although the contract renewal process is now wrapping up, improvements to Kenyon’s dining are still just beginning — by the time the next contract renewal period comes around, AVI will have been Gambier’s food provider for a quarter of a century. There is one more thing in the back of Kenyon students’ minds, though. “I am jonesing for the ice cream machine,” Miles Ford ’29 implored. “That needs to come back.”